Despite wildfires, many Oklahoma ranchers don’t insure cattle
"More than 348,000 acres burned, causing a wide variety of losses to livestock, pastures, hay, fences and facilities,"
Of that, estimated cattle operation losses from the wildfires exceed
While she didn't have an exact figure,
"I think a lot of people maybe don't know that it's available, or they just maybe feel like it's too cost prohibitive to insure their entire herd. And I honestly think people for the most (think) a catastrophe like we've had isn't going to happen that often where you lose your whole herd in one setting," Livingston said.
Of the cattle industry losses from the recent wildfires, damages and losses included
Livingston said for those that don't have their cattle insured, it could potentially be a devastating event for the owner. She said she's heard of people losing anywhere from five to 100-plus cows at a time.
"So (hypothetically) you're looking at like
Other big reasons people might choose to not insure their cattle include cost, typically not losing a large amount of cattle at a time, and the idea many might have of "it won't happen to me," Livingston said.
So far, in the entire life of his operation, he has not felt the need to insure his cattle. But he said he could see the need, if someone had a loan against their cattle that would leave them flat-footed and unable to pay the note on cattle that were now a total loss.
"Yeah. I could see if this was the only income for someone, then I could understand that," he said. "But I have just never insured them."
Zrust said he does have a break-over point where he would insure cattle and that is based on the number of head he has at one time.
"I suppose if I got into having like 1,000 head, then I might start conceding it," he said.
A native of
"Look, it costs between
In the 2017 wildfires that swept across the Texas
However, in the aftermath, likely from stress to the cow herd, she had some losses. She also lost all but about 400 acres of her pasture for her cattle and all of her stored hay. Add to that, the loss of many miles of fencing and more likely moving of her cows, and Dixon said she is glad she insured her cows.
"I have people chide me all of the time and tell me I am just participating in 'fear-surance,' they call it," she said. "I tell them, 'Oh yeah? Is that why you buy that crop insurance every year?'"
Dixon said she is wide awake and aware of what size of a producer she is and she knows she cannot afford to lose a cow herd on which she is still paying, which can no longer produce calves to provide the money to pay back loans.
"My cattle are my crop on my land. They are what I count on for production. Why wouldn't I spent the
Add on that, unless a fire is declared a disaster, Livingston said disaster payments and other post-fire aid is hard to come by after a devastating blaze.
"If you have a small fire, and say it only burns like 2,000 or 3,000 acres, they're typically not going to declare that a disaster area, so there would be no reimbursement for that," she said.
She said with some insurance companies such as American Farmers & Ranchers, if someone wants to insure their cow for
"It's not as expensive as maybe what some people would think," Livingston said.
Livingston said even being an insurance agent, she and her husband didn't insure their cattle until about a year ago after other devastating wildfires in
She said after last year's fires, she sat down with her husband and the two decided to insure their cattle.
"I think, just as an agent, and last year after the wildfires in the Woodward and panhandle area, I did send out a letter to all of my customers who were farmers and ranchers and explained the livestock insurance to them. And my question to them was, 'You insure your tractors, you insure your farm implements and your equipment and it costs the same to insure your cows. And your cows give you a return every year ... every year you're going to have a calf, why wouldn't you insure them?'" Livingston said.
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